[nabs-l] meeting results and what todotogetaworkingcomputerforcollege
Brandon Keith Biggs
brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com
Wed Jul 25 04:15:24 UTC 2012
Hello,
I often found that listening to my books on my Braille+ then going over the
chapters a second time on my computer while answering the study guide
questions was the best way.
I always read the textbook first thing, except in music theory. I can not
stand human voices for some reason.
By the first week I'm usually done with the text book and only have the
assignments to worry about. I make sure I know a basic outline for every
class, I read every syllabus and make sure I understand everything.
If I get a bad grade on a test, I confront my teacher and ask him what the
right answers are. I've often caught teachers in word traps where they said
one thing and it could mean two things. They often give me credit for that.
I also often take honors classes, so not only are the teachers the best in
the school, but the other students are more motivated in class. I find the
atmosphere of the normal classes is really lethargic and the honors classes
are always vibrant and full of passion.
Another thing I always try to do is connect the class I'm in to either
another class I'm taking or my major. For example, I wrote a paper on Verdi
and told how his music influenced the revolt against Napoleon.
I also wrote a business plan in my business class on how much it would cost
to become a working performer in my area.
In my speech class, I often told stories about the songs I was singing.
Because they were in German, I didn't need to worry about plagiarism.
So being creative is the real key to being a student. It makes life so much
more fun and rewarding. Although the educational system suppresses
creativity, it's our job to rekindle that most essential part of humanity.
Do schools kill creativity?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
Thanks,
Brandon Keith Biggs
-----Original Message-----
From: Ashley Bramlett
Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2012 6:33 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] meeting results and what
todotogetaworkingcomputerforcollege
Desiree,
We have a choice. 12 credits is the minimum for being full time. Of course,
blind students can go part time taking 6 or 9 credits. But then rehab won't
pay, you'd need another funding source. I took that 12 credits and I felt it
was overwelming at times. I'm really surprised that someone thinks it is not
much work. I had homework everyday and at finals time, I did not get enough
sleep.
A student can take up to 17 credits typically without being overloaded.
Most colleges consider 12-17 credits to be full time. Beyond that, its an
overload and the student is charged extra money.
Three credits is a typical class; some classes are 4 credits if they consist
of lecture and lab.
FYI, one or two credit classes usually are electives and meet once a week.
I'm certainly glad 12 credits was full time as this was enough for me.
Ashley
-----Original Message-----
From: Desiree Oudinot
Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2012 8:57 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] meeting results and what to
dotogetaworkingcomputerforcollege
Right. Everyone is different, and what seems like too much for one
person is child's play for another. If sighted people are given the
freedom to choose how many courses they can handle, why shouldn't we?
On 7/24/12, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Ignosi,
> While 12 credits may not seem like much work for you, everyone is
> different.
>
> I had reading for every class and I thought it was a lot of work.
> I took that amount to be a full time student in most of my college years.
> It did not take everyone else much time; they skimmed readings; I listened
> to mine so could not take short cuts.
> I also felt the amount of material was a lot per class, especially in
> upper
>
> level classes.
> I wonder what school you went to. But I feel its misleading to say 12
> credits isn't a lot of work.
> I took nine credits the last few semesters at community college; I
> finished
>
> my BA but wanted a writing certificate to add to my resume. I'm taking
> writing classes applicable to business like technical editing and business
> writing.
>
> I had a fair amount of home work particularly at the end of the semester
> including multiple papers.
> If one can only do 12 credits, that is okay; better to do what you can
> handle than let grades and mental health suffer.
>
> Ashley
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ignasi Cambra
> Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2012 7:56 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] meeting results and what to
> dotogetaworkingcomputerfor
>
> college
>
> 12 credits is the minimum requirement to be a full time student.
> That's less than what most people take per semester. Why do we need to
> exaggerate like this? 12 credits is really not much work!
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jul 24, 2012, at 12:46 PM, Joshua Lester
> <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu> wrote:
>
>> Rehab isn't the only one that pays for 12 credit hours.
>> The Pell Grant won't cover you unless you have 12 credit hours.
>> It's overwhelming for anyone, not just you.
>> I hated my first year, because they wanted me to take all of these
>> developmental courses, (stuff I had in high school!)
>> Then, they told me that I needed to get a General Education certificate.
>> That would've taken me 2 years, which is okay, but I had to go back to
>> get a real degree!
>> I wasn't going to have that!
>> I found out that I could get a behavioral health degree, in order to
>> do what I wanted to do, (which was to counsel children and work for
>> VR.
>> I'm getting that degree, next May!
>> Had they told me of the Behavioral Health degree, when I started in
>> 2009, I'd be out of school, and probably at LCB!
>> Good grief!
>> That's Rehab for you!
>> Blessings, Joshua
>>
>> On 7/24/12, Desiree Oudinot <turtlepower17 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Hi all,
>>> Tyler, I can't be offended by your post. You don't know me, so you
>>> don't really know why it was that no one ever respected me. It's
>>> easier to assume that it was my own fault because you weren't there,
>>> so I'll let that slide. Also, what I meant about people being
>>> privileged was that some people don't go to college because they want
>>> to be there, they go on a sports scholarship, which in their minds
>>> gives them a license to be jerks. Some are pressured into picking a
>>> specific major by their parents, and the parents pay for them to go.
>>> They end up miserable. Some get other scholarships and just party
>>> their lives away. It's all one big game to them. All I'm saying is
>>> that the argument of college kids being more mature than high school
>>> kids doesn't work with me. As a general rule, you're going to have
>>> immature people everywhere you go, that's life. But I know that in
>>> college, people are being let out of their cages. They're roaring and
>>> stomping their way through campus, tearing it up and having a grand
>>> old time because it's the first time they've been away from home. No
>>> parents to tell them who they can and cannot be friends with. Nobody
>>> saying they can't order pizza every night. No one to stop them from
>>> sleeping with someone. It would make anybody crazy, I guess, if they
>>> didn't know how to get a grip on their desires, and let's face it, we
>>> live in a society that's centered on instant gratification.
>>> One thing I will say though was that in grade school, you really don't
>>> know how to advocate for yourself. When the teachers and kids were
>>> treating me horribly, what was a scared 7 or 8-year-old kid supposed
>>> to do about it? Yeah, I could have beaten those kids up and showed
>>> them blind people aren't helpless, but I was pretty passive back then.
>>> I'm not proud of that, but the past is the past.
>>> As for my high school days, after I got out of middle school I
>>> actually went to a school for the blind to complete my education. Oh,
>>> the stories I could tell! But I won't, because I don't think Google
>>> indexing them would be a good idea. What I will say though is that I
>>> know I suffered academically. I wasn't receiving the same education
>>> that I know my sighted peers were. So I feel very unprepared for
>>> college. I never heard of academic probation in my life until reading
>>> this thread, but it sure sounds scary. Sounds like the shady side of
>>> the law, or if not that, a sure way to fail every job interview as
>>> well. Also, rehab only pays for college if you take 12 credits worth
>>> of classes. I think that would probably be overwhelming to me. I don't
>>> want to fail and find out exactly what academic probation entails.
>>>
>>> On 7/24/12, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
>>>> Beth,
>>>> Why don't you find out? Talk to your financial aid office at the
>>>> college
>>>> you'll go to and talk to an academic advisor. They should be able to
>>>> tell
>>>> you if you can qualify for pell grants with your academic situation.
>>>> Ashley
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Beth
>>>> Sent: Friday, July 20, 2012 8:16 PM
>>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] meeting results and what to do
>>>> togetaworkingcomputerfor college
>>>>
>>>> I don't know if I qualify because I'm on academic probation due
>>>> to the failures of previous times in college. What happens to
>>>> people on academic probation and financial stuff with that sort
>>>> of thing?
>>>> Beth
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: Joshua Lester <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu
>>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>> Date sent: Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:53:44 -0500
>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] meeting results and what to do to
>>>> getaworkingcomputerfor college
>>>>
>>>> Also, do you not qualify for Pell grants?
>>>> Thanks, Joshua
>>>>
>>>> On 7/20/12, Beth <thebluesisloose at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Exactly my point. I can't afford school with SSI only and the
>>>> loans aren't worth crap. Even with Obama's little forgivenes
>>>> plan on loans, it's still not worth a lick to pay the darn
>>>> things
>>>> back.
>>>> Beth
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com
>>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>> Date sent: Fri, 20 Jul 2012 16:10:44 -0500
>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] meeting results and what to do to get
>>>> aworkingcomputerfor college
>>>>
>>>> The basic answer to your question is yes, a person can just go.
>>>> But ...
>>>> if you are a client of rehab, have an approved plan, etc., then
>>>> they pay
>>>> for stuff. So, she may need to get rehab's approval for
>>>> financial reasons.
>>>>
>>>> Dave
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 7/20/2012 12:10 PM, Ignasi Cambra wrote:
>>>> I really don't know how the system works in the US so I'm sorry
>>>> if I
>>>> sound completely ignorant, but why do you care so much about
>>>> what
>>>> rehab wants you to do? If you want to go to college can't you
>>>> apply to
>>>> schools just like anyone else?
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>
>>>> On Jul 20, 2012, at 8:37 AM, Beth <thebluesisloose at gmail.com
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for the link even. They don't want me to have a Mac
>>>> because I'm "not proficient." They are interpreting even a few
>>>> keystrokes as "no proficiency." I don't know what to say or do
>>>> at this point because I want to succeed in college and thi
>>>> stupid
>>>> work assessment training, but whaut they did to me, I don't know
>>>> whether it should be pointed out or avenged.
>>>> Beth
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Brandon Keith Biggs" <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com
>>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>> Date sent: Thu, 19 Jul 2012 22:21:14 -0700
>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] meeting results and what to do to get a
>>>> workingcomputerfor college
>>>>
>>>> Hello,
>>>> If you graduated high school and got excepted into college, you
>>>> should just
>>>> go and tell them that you're going and you need this, this and
>>>> this in order
>>>> to be independent. You need to have a technology assessment by
>>>> a
>>>> professional blind technology person and it's your right to get
>>>> that
>>>> assessment. If your counselor doesn't get you the meeting with
>>>> the adaptive
>>>> technology professionals, talk to their supervisor. Let the
>>>> supervisor know
>>>> that your rehab counselor is keeping you from succeeding in
>>>> college and if
>>>> they want you to pass your classes, you have got to have a
>>>> computer. Because
>>>> you aren't someone with time to worry about a technology
>>>> failure, you really
>>>> need an apple computer that will be dependable and has the best
>>>> support in
>>>> the world.
>>>> http://www.apple.com/why-mac/
>>>> This is why you need a mac, and you have not had the experience
>>>> you want in
>>>> college with your PC, so because you want the best, you need to
>>>> have a Mac.
>>>> First rule of rehab, they want you to do and show what's best
>>>> for you. They
>>>> will only guide you if you let them. you must be sure, un
>>>> moving
>>>> and firm
>>>> that this is what you want and there is nothing better you can
>>>> have, even
>>>> though there may be things you're uncertain about. Confidence
>>>> is
>>>> the key and
>>>> independence is the way.
>>>> Thanks,
>>>>
>>>> Brandon Keith Biggs
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Beth
>>>> Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2012 10:01 PM
>>>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>> Subject: [nabs-l] meeting results and what to do to get a
>>>> working
>>>> computerfor college
>>>>
>>>> Hi. The meeting with rehab was unsuuccessful in doing anything
>>>> but made me aware of stuff. They don't want me to have a Mac
>>>> because they don't feel I should have one. I understand they
>>>> don't buy macs in Colorado, but my concern about third party
>>>> apps
>>>> fell on deaf ears. They want me to do a "situational
>>>> assessment
>>>> and work adjustment training." They found an agency for me to
>>>> work at, and they're forcing me to go to mental health group
>>>> and
>>>> counseling therapies. Honestly, I'm getting tired of this. I
>>>> didn't think a mental issue would cause the employment to be
>>>> the
>>>> top priority. But I can't exactly go along with Rehab and
>>>> their
>>>> plans. They pretty much coerced me into doing the work
>>>> adjustment training, saying that I was "putting the cart before
>>>> the horse" with college and all. But most sighted normal
>>>> people
>>>> go to college and get a major. What am I supposed to do?
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> Beth
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Follow me on Twitter @dandrews920
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>
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